The Pentagon has just issued orders to 8,500 U.S. troops to be on a heightened alert to deploy to allied countries in Eastern Europe as tensions ratchet up between Russia and Ukraine. President Joe Biden huddled with advisers over the weekend in Camp David to discuss the possible deployment of tens of thousands of troops to NATO countries if the situation deteriorates further, as Russia has deployed hundreds of thousands of troops along Ukraine’s border. The Department of Defense’s decision to place the troops on high alert is intended to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine again, as well as to show unity within NATO, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a briefing Monday.The troops are not being deployed now. “All we’re doing at this point is placing these units at a heightened alert posture,” Kirby said. The North Atlantic Treaty Alliance is also putting troops on standby and sending ships and fighter jets to Eastern Europe.